


Life on Mars; The Gwen Cooper Chronicles.

by amythestice



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Gwen Bashing, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-03-17
Updated: 2016-02-29
Packaged: 2018-05-23 21:31:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6130732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amythestice/pseuds/amythestice
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gwen receives a promotion that she thinks she richly deserves. She's not wrong, but it all depends on your point of view.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is not a Gwen friendly fic, I am not and nor will I ever be, a Gwen friendly writer. Do not read and then bitch to me after about how I have bruised precious Gwen as you have been warned twice now.

 

Title not withstanding, there is no happy ending in sight what so ever in this sparkling new Torchwood spin-off series ;-)  


************************************************

 

Gwen was sitting at her desk, pretending to work on a profile, while really staring over at Jack in his office. She never even noticed Ianto coming up behind her until he dropped an envelope on the desk in front of her, it was marked with the Torchwood emblem, on the front in the corner where the stamp would go, and on the back, crossing the flap and the back of the envelope like a seal. She had never seen stationery like this in all the time she had worked here. Seeing her looking at it with blank confusion, Ianto rolled his eyes.

 

“It’s an internal mail envelope, you don’t see them much because there’s no need for them as a rule now that Torchwood One is gone. The little chap in Scotland, in the unlikely event he wants to tell us anything, uses the phone.”

 

“So why do I have it now?”

 

“I have no idea, the point of it being in the envelope with your name on it, would be that you are the intended recipient, I suspect. Therefore, the only way to know what is in it, old fashioned as the idea might be, would be to open it,” he said in irritation, walking away to get Jack’s coffee mug from his office.

 

Gwen frowned at his back for a long moment, wondering what Jack saw in him as she watched the Captain smile sweetly up at Ianto as the other man took his mug, then turned her attention back to the envelope.

 

Gwen slid her finger under the flap, tearing the envelope open and pulling out the single sheet of paper with the official Torchwood letterhead. Jack’s signature at the bottom of the sheet puzzled her. Why on earth was he writing to her, when he was less than 20 feet away, and could talk to her in person far quicker than writing a letter. Her eyes skipping back to the top, she started to read the typewritten sheet.

 

To; Gwen Cooper, Torchwood operative 5992,

 

            Due to the recent rediscovery of Torchwood Four, I am pleased to confirm your promotion and transfer to take command of the re-commissioned branch of this organization.

 

Your promotion is official as of the 16th (sixteenth) of March, and you will take command of Torchwood Four on the 25th (twenty fifth) of March.

 

Your contract has already been amended to show your new position, and salary. The salary increase of £5000 (five thousand pounds) per annum will also become effective as of March 16th (sixteenth).

 

Congratulations, and much luck in your new role;

 

Captain Jack Harkness

J Harkness

 

Gwen stared at the letter for a long moment, reading it over and over again, then her heart soared, Jack had recognized how important she was to Torchwood, had given her a position that befitted her skills.

 

Tosh and Owen both jumped out of their skins as Gwen screeched shrilly, jumping off her chair, and the sound of something smashing in the kitchen indicated that Ianto had been just as startled by the noise. Tosh shot a quick glance at Jack, but he didn’t seem startled, in fact he was wearing a smirk as he briefly met her eyes.

 

“I’ve been promoted,” Gwen yelled shrilly, dancing around her desk, waving the letter in the air.

 

“What?” Owen demanded, snatching the letter out of her hand and looking at it.

 

“A pay rise and command of Torchwood Four,” he confirmed to Tosh and Ianto, who had stepped out of the kitchen.

 

“I have to go and tell Rhys,” Gwen said, grabbing the letter back and snatching up her bag and coat, running out without a backward glance in her eagerness to tell her husband she had been promoted.

 

The other three gathered in the doorway to Jack’s office after she had gone, looking at Jack accusingly.

 

“You promoted her,” Owen said.

 

“Yep,” he confirmed with a grin.

 

“Why? She’s useless, there must be better people to take command of Torchwood Four, and how come none of us knew it had been found either?” Tosh asked.

 

“Come on guys, have a little faith in me. One, it gets her out of our hair; we’ll never have to deal with her smug, supercilious attitude again. Two, well, that’s a surprise. You weren’t told it had been found because…. Actually, that’s related to two, you’ll have to wait and find out that when she does,” Jack said with a shark like grin.

 

“When will that be?” Owen asked.

 

“As soon as she’s signed the new contract, and can’t refuse the position,” Jack said darkly.

 

The week that passed between Gwen getting her letter, and the day she was to sign her contract, Gwen was insufferable, ordering everyone around as if she was their boss, not Jack, and by the time he called her into the conference room to sign her updated contract, the rest of them were ready to kill her.

 

Ianto was just putting a mug of coffee down for Tosh when the plasma screen across the room flickered on. He and Tosh went over, quickly followed by Owen when they realized the screen was showing the conference room, where Gwen was just putting the pen she had used to sign her contract onto the table. She gave Jack a simpering look.

 

“Thank you so much for this promotion Jack, it’s great that you’re giving me this chance to really show you how much I have to offer you, and Torchwood.”

 

“Well, it’s going to be very different to what you’re used to Gwen, a new challenge, you might say.”

 

“Why, how much different can it be?” She asked, suddenly worried.

 

“It’s less about investigating, and more about observation,” Jack said, picking up the contract and slipping it into a leather folder before turning to look at her again.

 

“Torchwood Four has been found, on Mars. It was clearly taken there by alien interference, I suspect the Judoon, they are one of the few races that have the tech to steal entire buildings. Anyway, once they’re gone, they won’t be back, so we’re reclaiming the building. I contacted a friend, who called in some favours, and the building is now inside an envirodome, it has air, water, gravity, everything you could need. It’s been converted to a listening post, you’ll be watching out for approaching alien ships, and contacting us here if you see anything. Torchwood Four is Earth’s new early warning system, a vitally important position, and a very great responsibility. I hope you can be trusted with it.”

 

Gwen stared at him, her mouth opening and closing, and he was reminded of a huge fish he had seen when Ianto dragged him to the aquarium one day when he was babysitting his nephew. Out in the hub, watching the screen, the others fell about laughing at the look on her face, finally understanding what Jack had been talking about when he had given Gwen the promotion.

 

“I can’t go to Mars; I don’t want to go to Mars. You can’t do this to me Jack.” She whimpered.

 

“It’s a promotion Gwen, it’s what you wanted.”

 

“No, you can’t. I’m not going to Mars, that’s all there is to it. You can’t make me Jack.”

 

“You’re under contract Gwen; you will go where you’re sent. Your ONLY other option is to have your memory wiped, that will be all of your time with Torchwood wiped out, you’ll forget everything, including, might I add, your wedding. Rhys too, Gwen, we’ll have to take his memory too, from the day you brought him into this.”

 

“You can’t retcon me Jack, it doesn’t work,” she said, looking down her nose at him.

 

“Gwen, retcon is only for people where there is a chance we might someday want them to remember. I’m talking a total mind wipe, not hiding the memories Gwen, taking them completely. Nothing will ever be able to recover them,” Jack said coldly.

 

“But……Mars. Jack, what about Rhys, are you saying you’re sending him along?”

 

“No.”

 

“So how am I supposed to explain this to him?”

 

“Not my problem, Gwen. You’ll need to be ready to transmat on the 25th, so you might want to make it fast. You can take the rest of the day off to start tying up your loose ends.”

 

Gwen hurried out without another word, dropping her eyes away from the others, who were all staring at her with barely suppressed laughter.

 

Jack came out of the conference room when she was gone, looking to his team with a smile.

 

“Are we all happy now?” He asked, and the four of them all dissolved into laughter.

 

TBC

 

Coming up in Episode 2

 

What will Gwen tell Rhys? Will there be any friendly faces in her new posting on Mars? Stay tuned to find out next week.

 


	2. Chapter 2

*********************************************

 

Gwen hurried to the flat she shared with Rhys, putting her key in the door. It wouldn’t turn, and frustrated, she kicked the door, yanking the key out and leaning on the bell while hammering with her other hand.

 

“All right, keep your hair on,” Rhys’s voice called, approaching the door.

 

The door opened to the extent of the security chain, and she scowled darkly.

 

“Rhys, open the door will you, my key won’t work,” she demanded.

 

“That would be because the lock has been changed.”

 

“For Gods sake, you could have let me know if you lost your keys and were getting the locks changed. A phone call takes less than a minute,” she huffed.

 

“That’s not why the locks were changed, Gwen. They were changed to stop you getting in.”

 

“What? Why?” she asked, making her lower lip tremble.

 

“Because I’m done with you, Gwen. Even knowing about Torchwood, you’re still hiding things from me, still lying.”

 

“No, please Rhys, I need you. This promotion isn’t what Jack led me to believe, I need you to help get me out of it,” she begged.

 

“Oh, come on Gwen. I’m sure you’ll love literally having your own little world.”  
“You knew?” she whimpered, slumping against the wall and looking at him tearfully.

 

“I had an idea Jack was up to something, but I couldn’t get him to tell me what, and none of the others knew either. I know now because I got a phone call about 15 minutes ago, letting me into the secret. I think you should check into a hotel until its time for you to leave. I have a couple of bags packed for you here, if I’ve missed anything, text me, and I’ll drop it at the Tourist Office with Ianto tomorrow,” he said coldly, opening the door enough to shove two cases out, then slamming it shut in her face.

 

“Rhys, let me in,” she yelled, putting as much tremble into her voice as she could as she hammered on the door again.

 

“Go away Gwen, we’re finished, and there is nothing else to say to you,” Rhys called back, and she heard one of the internal doors closing.

 

Gwen sniffled as she picked up the cases, looking back over her shoulder in the hopes that Rhys would realize what a huge mistake throwing her away was, and open the door to let her back inside. Going down to her car, she threw the cases in the boot, and got behind the wheel, fuming. He’d realize he had made a mistake, and he’d come crawling, begging her to forgive him, after all, who wouldn’t want her? When he came begging to her to take him back, she’d make him suffer, no one rejected her and got away with it.

 

Once she had found a hotel and checked in, she sank down onto the bed, chewing her lip. The first thing she had to do was get out of being sent off to Mars, without losing the promotion and pay rise, she had earned those.

 

Now that she was available, Jack wouldn’t have to hold back anymore, he would stop filling time with Ianto, and take her. He was obviously madly in love with her, and only holding back because of Rhys. Getting up and throwing open the cases, she started to rummage through, checking what he had packed for her. If she played it right, she would have Jack, and she could persuade him to send Ianto off to Mars in her place, she was sure he would do anything to make her happy, and he wouldn’t want Ianto around after he’d ditched him.

 

Grimacing, she realized Rhys had put all the frumpiest, most boring clothes into the cases, she would have to do something about that, she couldn’t pull Jack in any of those, she would have to get something else on the way to the hub.

 

**

Gwen frowned when she reached the Tourist Office and found the door locked, Ianto only locked it when he went downstairs, but lunch was long over, he should be back at his station by now, she would make sure he was disciplined for tardiness as soon as she saw Jack, she thought Owen would probably back her on it, if Jack resisted out of gratitude for Ianto helping him out while he couldn’t have Gwen. Owen still fancied her, and he didn’t like Ianto.

 

Pulling out her earpiece, she slipped it in and called Jack.

 

“Jack, I’m up outside the Tourist Office, Ianto hasn’t opened up yet, and I can’t get in.”

 

“Ianto isn’t in the hub Gwen, none of us are, we’re busy.”

 

“You’re on a call, and you didn’t let me know?”

 

“We didn’t need you Gwen; the four of us can handle it. After all, you’re going to be gone soon, we’ll have to get used to you not being around to _help._ ”

 

“But…”

 

“Go on home Gwen, I’m sure you’ve got a lot to do before your trip,” Jack said firmly.

 

“But…..”

 

“I can’t talk now Gwen, go home,” Jack said, before the phone went dead.

 

Gwen stamped her foot, and looked down at the low cut top and short skirt she was wearing, there was no way she was wasting the time she had spent getting ready, she would go up to one of the cafés on the quay, and watch for Jack coming back. If they were out on a job, Jack would drop all of the others home before returning in the SUV. If she waited, she would get him to herself. She shivered at the thought of tonight being the night, Jack touching her, making love to her, after being forced to deny himself for so long. She couldn’t wait.

 

It was going dark, and the café staff was starting to cast her ‘go away, we’re closing’ looks when she heard Jack’s familiar boisterous laughter on the lower level, heading for the Tourist Office. Getting up quickly, she grabbed her bag and straightened her skimpy clothes before darting out of the door. She clattered down the stairs, and was disappointed to see the four of them there, waiting as Ianto unlocked the door. It didn’t matter, she could still contrive to be the last one there with Jack by saying she needed to talk to him privately, he would send the others home at this time of night.

 

“Bloody hell Gwen. Are you thinking of a career in prostitution?” Owen snorted, eyeing her clothes as she followed them into the office.

 

“Piss off Owen, I need to talk to Jack, privately,” she looked at Jack with her best cow eyes.

 

“Sorry Gwen, I have plans tonight, and nothing is getting in the way of them. Even if there’s an alien invasion, I’ll be calling the Doctor, and asking him to deal with it,” Jack laughed, pulling Ianto into an embrace.

 

She finally cottoned on that they were all very dressed up for having been out on an alien hunt, Ianto was wearing the same dark suit that he had been wearing earlier, now with an emerald green shirt and tie, and there was a white carnation in the button hole of his jacket. Jack was dressed in a full suit himself, a black shirt under it, the color lifted by an emerald tie that matched Ianto’s, and a similar carnation. Tosh was wearing a very flattering blue dress, and her hair was pinned up into a very feminine style, she looked even lovelier than she had when she had attended Gwen’s wedding. And as for Owen, she had NEVER seen him look so smart; he wore neatly pressed black trousers, a crisp white shirt and a black tie. She didn’t think he owned any ties.

 

“What’s been going on?” she finally asked after staring at them in confused silence for a long time.

 

TBC

 


	3. The Gwen Cooper Chronicles (Episode 3): antigwenallies

************************************

“Well see, there was this alien a few weeks ago, in the registry office. You had gone early, so it was just the four of us, and after we had caught it, Jack got talking to one of the registrars there. Anyway, upshot is, we went in today and had a Civil Partnership ceremony,” Ianto said, a tiny smirk gracing his face as he watched her patented ‘guppy expression’ settled more firmly onto her face.

 

“You didn’t tell me,” she whined.

 

“We didn’t think you would be interested, what with all the preparations you’re going to be needing to make for your new posting, besides, it was a very small service, just Owen and the Doctor as witnesses, and me as the official record keeper, and Rhys of course, we couldn’t leave him out,” Tosh grinned, lifting a tiny video camera from her bag.

 

“Now, if you’ll excuse us Gwen, we should get downstairs, the Doctor will have arrived by now, and I doubt Rhys will be able to make him keep his hands to himself down there for too long. Besides, you look like you’re ready for a night on the um, tiles, yourself, so we wouldn’t like to keep you,” Jack said, ushering her towards the door.

 

She turned when she was out on the walkway, her mouth opening to speak, but the door was already closing in her face, and a moment later she heard it being locked again, shutting her out in the dark on her own.

 

“Bollocks,” she hissed, feeling tears pricking her eyes as she kicked an empty can into the water.

 

How could Jack do this to her, marry Ianto just on the day she became available to him, maybe Rhys hadn’t mentioned before the ceremony that the two of them had split up, surely Jack wouldn’t have gone through with it if he’d known. She was going to have to rethink her plan now, there was only Owen who she could rely on to help her get rid of Ianto so that she could have Jack and not get sent to Mars, even if he had gone to the service, it had to have just been out of duty, because he was still going to be working with them. Besides, she needed a good shag, and Owen would do for that until she could get Jack away from Ianto’s clutches.  Decided she headed back to where she had parked, she would go to Owen’s flat and wait for him, certain that once they were in bed, she could get him to do anything for her.

 

/x/

Down in the hub, Tosh glanced over her shoulder as someone came up behind her.

 

“She buggered off yet?” Owen asked, gesturing to the CCTV screen that she had been keeping an eye on.

 

“Yeah, but it looks like she’s heading for your place,” Tosh sighed.

 

“Balls, I hope she doesn’t think she’s getting back into my bed,” he hissed.

 

“You can come to mine tonight, if you want to,” Tosh said, blushing faintly.

 

“You sure? That would be great,” he said, putting a hand on her shoulder and steering her away.

 

“Come on, Jack and Ianto have finally managed to persuade the Doctor to come down out of Myfanwy’s roost, and Rhys has the Champagne ready,” he grinned.

 

“Who knew the Doctor had such a thing for huge flying lizards,” she smiled, seeing the Time Lord still talking enthusiastically, waving his hands every now and then up in the direction of the nest.

 

“Oi, bribe her with some dark chocolate, and she’ll come down,” Ianto laughed, pulling a bar of her favorite from the back of his drawer and tossing it to the over excited Time Lord, he couldn’t believe how much of an overgrown child he was, although admittedly every other time he had seen the man, it had been an ‘end of the world’ type situation, not a celebration.

 

“Well, at least we can be fairly sure she isn’t going to eat him while he’s hub sitting tonight,” Jack snorted, watching as she swooped down to land just behind the Doctor at the first sound of the foil being split.

 

She skittered slightly at the pop of the Champagne being uncorked, but the chunk of chocolate offered to her a moment later soon settled her again, and she nipped affectionately at Jack’s hand as he reached up to scratch her crest while Rhys poured the Champagne.

 

“A toast, to Jack and Ianto. A long and happy marriage,” the Doctor said, raising his glass, and all of the others chimed against it.

 

“Thank you,” Jack said smiling as Ianto snuggled in against his side.

 

“And to the return of Torchwood four,” Ianto snickered, holding up his glass again.

 

/x/

Gwen shifted uncomfortably on the cold stairs up to Owen’s flat, wondering what was keeping him. Looking at her watch for the 50th time, she could see that it was gone midnight now; he couldn’t still be at the Hub, faking happiness that Jack and bloody Ianto had gotten hitched.

 

A couple of his neighbors came up, looking oddly at her where she sat on the stairs, her barely there skirt and top leaving little to the imagination.

 

“What are you looking at?” she hissed, blushing.

 

“This is a respectable building young lady, not somewhere for your sort to ply their trade,” the woman said snootily.

 

“I’m a friend of Dr. Harper, I’m waiting for him,” she said defensively, her blush deepening at being called a prostitute twice in one night. Maybe her outfit was a little over the top, she would have to tone it down and try Jack again.

 

“Well, find somewhere else to wait, or we’ll call the police. Honestly, lowering the tone of the building that way,” the woman sniffed, her voice fading away as she and her husband carried on up the stairs.

 

“Snotty bitch,” Gwen murmured, looking at her watch yet again.

 

She would leave, but not because she was worried about that woman calling the police, honestly, how could anyone think something so low about someone as obviously respectable as her, she would have to head back to the hotel, maybe Owen was waiting there for her, so that he could offer her the comfort she needed after being so unkindly treated today.

 

/x/

“Any calls or messages?” she asked the man on the desk as she picked up her room key.

 

“No,” he said, checking.

 

“Oh,” she sighed, taking the key and wandering off to her room.

 

She pulled out her mobile as soon as she was there, hitting the speed dial.

 

“Harper,” a very sleepy voice answered.

 

“Owen love, it’s Gwen. I was waiting for you at your flat. Why don’t you come over to my hotel?” she asked, leaning back on the bed.

 

“Humph, Gwen its one in the morning, get some sleep,” he groaned.

 

She was about to persist when she heard another familiar sleepy voice.

 

“What is it? Is something wrong?” Tosh’s faint voice asked, barely audible over the phone.

 

“Its nothing Tosh, go back to sleep,” he said.

 

Gwen hung up quickly, her mouth hanging open, how could he prefer mousy Tosh over her, she bet that Tosh was nowhere near as passionate in bed. Now what was she going to do?

 

/x/

Owen realized that Gwen had hung up when he put the phone back to his ear after Tosh padded back off to her bedroom. Rolling his eyes, he threw the phone back onto the coffee table, and snuggled back down into the warm nest of blankets he had made on the comfortable sofa.

 

Tbc

 

Shame on you anyone whose mind went to the same place Gwen’s went to. Tosh is not that kind of girl J

 

  
 


	4. The Gwen Cooper Chronicles (Episode 4): antigwenallies

********************************

Gwen didn’t get much sleep that night, she was too busy plotting her last ditch attempt to get out of the transfer to Mars, and get rid of Ianto so that she could have Jack for herself. There had to be a way to prove to Jack that he didn’t need to settle for second best now that she was free. Finally she got up at five in the morning, showered and got dressed in a nice pair of jeans that showed her perfect figure off at its best, and a top that was cut just low enough to show some cleavage. She decided to head for the hub now, knowing that Jack and Ianto more than likely wouldn’t be there yet. If she went now, she would have a chance to get the Doctor onside. He was supposed to be a really intelligent alien; he would surely see that it would be best for Jack to settle down with a woman like her, who could be a rock for him, who could connect him to the real world with her heart.

 

 

 

He was awake when she got there, if he had gone to sleep at all, she didn’t really know how much an alien like him would need to sleep.

 

“Oh, hello,” he said, looking up regretfully as Myfanwy flew away back up to her roost as soon as Gwen came into the hub.

 

“Hello,” she said brightly, putting her bag in her drawer.

 

“We didn’t get a chance to meet last night, I’m Gwen,” she said, bouncing over.

 

“Yes, I know.”

 

“You’ve heard about me?” she asked, puffing up with pride.

 

“Oh yes, I’ve heard lots about you. I’m surprised to see you in this early, I was told that Toshiko would probably be the first one in,” the Doctor said dryly.

 

“Well, to be honest, I was hoping to get a chance to talk to you. I’m a little worried about Jack. I’m not sure Ianto is the best person for Jack, I don’t know if you heard about what he had hidden down in the basement…”

 

“I heard about the poor young woman he tried to save, yes. Why would that mean that he’s not suitable for Jack? To me it suggests a great capability for loyalty, something that is increasingly rare on this planet from what I’ve seen,” he said pointedly, looking straight at her, but she of course missed the point completely, obliviously carrying on.

 

“Loyalty possibly, but I don’t know that he can offer Jack the stability someone like him needs, to keep him grounded in the real world, to keep him from hiding his heart behind walls and becoming lost in the darkness,” she said, injecting as much passion as she could manage into her voice.

 

“And it’s you he needs to have that, is it?” he asked dryly.

 

“Yes,” she said enthusiastically, thrilled that he saw her point so quickly, that he was agreeing with her.

 

“Yes, I’m the heart of this team, I’m what holds it together, and I don’t know how Ianto has convinced him to send me away, but it’s a mistake you can convince him not to make. If someone really has to go to Mars, I’m sure you can convince him to send Ianto, out to where he can't manipulate Jack’s decisions away from what’s best for the team, and Earth, and Jack himself,” she said urgently, pacing closer to him, her eyes wide and sincere.

 

“Do you know what worries me the most, Miss Cooper?” he asked.

 

“What?” she asked eagerly.

 

“That you really believe the twaddle you just spouted. You think you love Jack, but the only person you love is you. Ianto loves Jack, and Jack loves Ianto, which frankly is something I never imagined someone with Jack’s history was capable of. That is what Jack needs, not some self absorbed little girl who is always looking out for the next shiny toy, the next best thing, who always thinks she knows better than those with more experience or knowledge than she could ever hope to attain,” he told her in a deceptively light tone, but his eyes held dark, glimmering warning.

 

She stared at him, her mouth opening and closing in shock as she tried to formulate a reply to that.

 

“You listen to me, little girl, and listen well, because I am not someone you want to annoy. If you try any more of this crap, at all, if you try to do anything to muscle in between Jack and Ianto between now and when you leave this world, then you will regret it. You will find out why I have been given such names as Oncoming Storm, and Destroyer of Worlds. You will keep your head down, your mouth shut and do your job until you are in that transmat beam, or if you don’t think you can manage that simple task, you will take a leave of absence until that day. Are you clear on that, Miss Cooper?”

 

“You can’t speak to me that way, Jack will never allow you to do anything to me,” she quavered, tears filling her eyes.

 

“You’re fooling yourself. Jack is just as tired of your behavior as the rest of the people around you. Do not try my resolve on this, I have failed to protect Jack too many times, I have hurt him myself, but I am making amends, and I will not allow anyone else to hurt him now. Do we have an understanding, Miss Cooper?” he growled.

 

“Yes,” she whispered, nodding weakly.

 

“Good. Now, Jack and Ianto are going to be late today, obviously, so Jack said I should get the first one in to feed the Weevils. He did think that would be Toshiko, but as you’re here first, off you go,” he said, his tone bright an bouncy once more, as if a switch had been flicked somewhere, turning off the dark, dangerous aura that had been there just a moment before.

 

Gwen stumbled away quickly; glad to be away from him, even if she did have to feed the damn Weevils. She didn’t even think about making an excuse not to do it, she didn’t want him any more annoyed at her.

 

/x/

 

She was sitting at her desk, her head bent over some paperwork when Tosh and Owen came in together, giggling like a couple of school kids, and she narrowed her eyes, sniffing in huffy disapproval as she noted that Owen was still wearing yesterday’s clothes. He obviously hadn’t gone home from Tosh’s place at all. She caught the Doctor looking at her, and realizing he had heard her, she quickly put her head back down, writing quickly in the file.

 

“Oh God, no Ianto yet?” Owen groaned.

 

“Nope, they’re going to be late, what’s up?” the Doctor asked brightly.

 

“I really, really need a good cup of coffee, but he’ll have our hands off if we go anywhere near that machine of his, it’s a standing threat, along with decaff instant. I’m going upstairs to Starbucks, if I can’t have good, I’ll make do with passable. Anyone else?” Owen asked.

 

“Oh yes,” Tosh said, nodding enthusiastically.

 

“Yes please,” Gwen said in a small voice, not lifting her head enough to see the outright shock on Tosh and Owen’s faces.

 

“What about you Doc?” Owen asked.

 

“Please don’t call me Doc. Do they do tea?” he asked.

 

“Uh, they’re a coffee shop,” Owen pointed out.

 

“Oh,” the Doctor said, clearly disappointed.

 

“Dear God, don’t look like that, you look like someone stole your spaceship. Fine, just for you, I will also go to the café next door to Starbucks, and get you a tea,” Owen said, scarpering quickly.

 

“Thank you,” the Doctor called after him with a grin.

 

“Are…are you all right Gwen?” Tosh asked hesitantly.

 

“Of course, Tosh love, I just have to make sure I get everything tied up before I go,” she said brightly, waving her hand at the file, which Tosh realized contained paperwork she had been avoiding for weeks.

 

“Oh, well, I’ll leave you to it then,” Tosh nodded, escaping to her desk.

 

She caught a quick smirk flitting over the Time Lord’s face as she passed him, and wondered for a moment what exactly he had done to Gwen, but then she decided that she frankly didn’t care.

 

tbc

 

Hi, look, an update *cringes slightly*. I know it’s been a REALLY long time since I updated this, and I hope you guys still remember it, lol. Um, if it’s any consolation, there’s only one episode left, and I will _try_ not to leave it so ridiculously long before we send Gwen packing to her own little world.


	5. The Gwen Cooper Chronicles (Episode 5): antigwenallies

Gwen sat seething at her desk, ostensibly still working on the pile of backlogged paperwork as she watched the others chatting and giggling with the Doctor from under her eyelashes, Jack sitting with his arm slung casually around Ianto, and Tosh and Owen standing closer together than she liked, she still couldn’t believe he had thrown her over for nerdy little Tosh. She had no trouble believing now though that the Doctor was every bit as dangerous as he had been claimed to be by the old Torchwood, she had seen it with her own eyes, she was horrified that Jack was giving him free rein this way, it obviously indicated that Jack was even more off balance than she had first thought, she had to find a way to pry Ianto away from him, so that she could help him heal.

 

She cautiously slid her phone out of her pocket, tapping in a fast text and setting the phone to vibrate when the text was answered, and then put her head down and got on with the paperwork, she would pretend to play along until something could be done to get rid of the two dangerous influences that Ianto and the Doctor were to her Jack.

 

/x/

 

Gwen walked into the pub, looking around quickly, he had said he would be here, he wouldn’t let her down, his long standing crush on her would make sure of that. Finally she caught sight of him in a booth at the other side of the bar, watching a darts game and sipping from a pint.

 

“Andy,” she said cheerfully, plunking herself down on the other side of the table in the horseshoe booth, and waiting for him to offer to go and get her a drink.

 

“Finally hit the bottom of the barrel, reached your last resort, have you Gwen?” he asked in a conversational tone.

 

“What?” she squeaked, her patented ‘landed fish’ look slamming onto her face at his words.

 

“Come on Gwen, I know I’m not the brightest bulb, but don’t try to take the piss. You’ve tried everyone else you can think of to help you get your own way, and you’ve gotten nowhere, so all of a sudden, you’re looking for good old, faithful Andy. You think I’m stupid Gwen, and yeah, you know what, there was a time I fancied you, and that made me let you take advantage of me, but those days are _gone_ now Gwen. Captain Flash came to see me, a few days back, he told me that there was going to be an opening here in Cardiff soon, asked me if I wanted a job. I haven’t really decided yet, but that’s the rub Gwen, _I_ haven’t decided, not like when I asked _you_ if there were any jobs going, and _you_ decided that I was too stupid, or too slow, or whatever,” he snorted.

 

“No, no, Andy, I was just trying to protect you! This job changes you, changes everything, and I didn’t want that for you,” she babbled, wide eyed.

 

“Yeah, well you’re not my mam Gwen, and I’m a big lad now, you don’t get do decide what’s good for me, it’s _none_ of you’re business. But then, what else can you expect from someone who has never grown up past the ‘spoiled brat, give me what I want or I’ll throw a tantrum’ stage? Join the grown up world Gwen, before it’s too late,” he told her, draining his pint and pushing out of the booth, and walking out of the pub.

 

She stared after him, mouth open for a long moment, until a coarse, London accented voice cut over the rest of the babble.

 

“Oi, darlin’, you can bring that mouth of yours to my hotel, if your fella ain’t using it.”

 

She looked over to see a scruffy looking lout in an English rugby shirt leering at her, eyeing her up like a piece of steak, and blushed. What was it was everyone apparently thinking she looked like a hooker, she wondered savagely, putting her head down and hurrying from the pub, she would never forgive Andy for leaving her alone there, or for refusing to help her, before she had even gotten a chance to explain the help she needed.

 

Locking herself in her hotel room, she threw herself facedown on the bed and screamed in frustration, fists curled into the pillows and feet violently drumming on the mattress.

 

It was perfectly obvious to her that Ianto had done something to everyone, to get them all on his side, and make everyone think he belonged with Jack, when really, it should be obvious that _she_ was the one who belonged at Jack’s side. Ianto had unrestricted access to the Archives, and he handled all of their food and drinks, how much clearer could it be that he was tampering? She didn’t know what to do though, where she could go now that everyone she knew was affected, UNIT was out, they didn’t outrank Jack, and they practically worshiped the Doctor, they’d back down as soon as Jack and the Doctor told them everything was ok.

 

She sat up again, determination settling on her face, it would be up to her to rescue the others then, she would save them all from Ianto’s manipulations, and Jack would finally be able to take her, as they both wanted. Grabbing her bag, she hurried out again, determination in every step.

 

/x/

 

The Hub seemed to be deserted, when she arrived, all of the lights powered down, the main floor was lit only by the screens of the computers that Tosh had left running some program, and the screen of the rift monitor. It really was creepy here at this time of night, she shuddered, as soon as she and Jack were a couple, he would be giving up his habit of sleeping here, Ianto might have been happy to shag in the bunker under Jack’s office, or the greenhouse, or the conference room, but she certainly wasn’t going to be acting like some cheap slut.

 

She headed down to the Archives, she was sure that someone as intelligent as her could figure out what he was using, what he was doing, if she could get a look at what he had left lying around the Archive, or what storage unit he had left empty on the shelf. Tapping her access code into the keypad, she didn’t even have time to look surprised as something spritzed into her face from above the keypad, and she slumped unconscious to the cold, damp floor.

 

/x/

 

Jack looked up with a smile as Ianto delivered a cup of coffee and a croissant to his desk, and then raised an eyebrow at the curious expression on his husband’s face.

 

“Ianto, what’s up?”

 

“I just went down to the Archives, to get the tie I left down there yesterday afternoon,” he said, giving Jack a pointed look that made him grin widely.

 

“What about it?” he asked after a moment of remembering just how Ianto had come to lose his tie down there.

 

“The system shows an unauthorized pass-code was entered, and the sedative deployed as it should, but there’s no-one down there, and no indication the antidote was used.”

 

“Which pass-code?” Jack asked, a sinking feeling telling him he already knew the answer.

 

“Gwen’s.”

 

“CCTV?” Jack asked, biting into the croissant, he wasn’t exactly going to fall over himself in alarm, yet. 

 

“Nothing, Gwen threw her bag down on Tosh’s desk, it landed on the override switch.”

 

“Bloody hell, how many times do we have to tell her to be careful of hitting switches, it isn’t exactly difficult,” he snarled.

 

“Don’t worry about her Jack, I found her last night, and until it’s time to send her on her way, she’ll be locked up inside the TARDIS. I told her what I would do if she tried anything else to hurt you two, and apparently she didn’t take me seriously, because I doubt she had innocent motivations for creeping around in the dead of night,” the Doctor interrupted cheerfully, bouncing into Jack’s office and patting Ianto on the shoulder in a friendly fashion.

 

“So she’s out of our hair for now?” Jack asked, to be certain.

 

“Yep,” he nodded brightly, emphasizing the p sound.

 

“Good, she was really staring to be a pain. Andy phoned last night, she had shown up there, he doesn’t know what she wanted exactly, he didn’t give a chance to tell him.”

 

“Did he say if he had given the job any more thought?” Jack asked with interest.

 

“Yes, he says he’s definitely interested, he’ll talk to you after _she_ is gone,” Ianto nodded.

 

“Excellent, it would have been much better if we had decided to take him on in the first place,” Jack growled.

 

“Well, it will all be sorted soon,” Ianto said soothingly.

 

/x/

 

Gwen stood sulkily on the transmat pad that had been set up, her arms folded and a pout on her face.

 

“You might want to make sure that you keep everything inside the radius of the disk, Ms. Cooper, you wouldn’t want to leave anything behind, hand, arm, leg,” the Doctor said cheerfully.

 

She squeaked and pulled in on herself, not chancing leaving any of her important bits behind, she certainly didn’t want to be missing any limbs when Jack came to his senses and brought her back.

 

“All ready to go?” Jack asked brightly, blithely ignoring the half pleading, half venomous look she sent him.

 

“We’ll take that as a yes. Take it away Doctor,” he nodded.

 

“With pleasure,” the Time Lord pointed his Sonic Screwdriver at the transmat control and set it off, Gwen Cooper vanishing in a shower of sparkles.

 

“Well, that’s that then,” Rhys said, a little sad despite everything.

 

/x/

 

Gwen appeared on an identical disk to the one she had left from, moving forward and nearly tripping over her bags, which had been delivered earlier, by Jack, she thought. She looked around the one man control room and screamed in rage, throwing the tantrum of her life before hurling herself down in the single console chair that was there, and swinging her feet up onto the control panel and settling in for a good sulk. She didn’t notice her heel had caught the switch to turn of the audio alerts, didn’t notice the little red light blinking beside the switch she had kicked off, and certainly never noticed the red light flashing behind her, or the blinking message on the panel set in the wall.

 

*proximity alert, incoming threat level 3, activate defensive grid*

 

Out in space, the tiny asteroid spun merrily toward the red planet, and the glittering, defenseless environmental dome with its single sulking occupant.

 

/x/

 

“You didn’t have a choice you know, the loss of that first listening post, just hours after it became active, is what drove the changes in the warning and defensive systems. Without that, the first colony ships would never made it,” the Doctor said, he and Jack were standing on top of the Millennium Center, looking out over the moonlit bay.

 

“I know, but knowing when I came here that I would have to hire someone, specifically to send her out there to become the woman I read about in my history books in the Academy, that didn’t prepare me for the reality of having to work with someone that self-absorbed, ignorant and willful.”

 

“Well, it’s over and done with now, and there’s nothing momentous due for Cardiff, or Wales at all for that matter, for at least 80 years. Plenty of time for you and young Ianto to come along with me for a while, have a bit of a honeymoon,” he offered.

 

“I….” Jack hesitated, biting his lip, obviously torn.

 

“You have a good team down there now; Toshiko and Owen need to be allowed a little time to spread their wings without her weighing them down. Let them have a chance at training your two new trainees, it isn’t as if Rhys and Andy are completely helpless or clueless now, is it. Give them time to grow, and you and Ianto time to take a break,” he said persuasively.

 

“Only if Ianto wants to,” Jack said with a soft sigh.

 

“You two are made for each other, you really are, that’s what he said, regarding you,” the Doctor laughed, pulling him toward the door to get off the roof.

 

/x/

 

THE END! (finally)

 

 


End file.
